CAPE CANAVERSAL SPACE FORCE STATION — As many were asleep, SpaceX launched 40 OneWeb’s broadband internet satellites late Monday night.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launched at 11:50 p.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS).

The 45th Weather Squadron gave a 90% chance of good launch weather, as the satellites of the OneWeb Launch 16 mission were sent into low-Earth orbit.

First-stage booster B1076, which was used for the 26th Commercial Resupply Services mission in November 2022, returned to Earth on Landing Zone 1 at the CCSFS. And many might have heard a sonic boom.

And the Dragon capsule the booster sent up for the CRS-26 mission is expected to splash down on Wednesday.

About the mission

Monday’s launch was the 16th mission for the London-based company, adding to OneWeb’s fleet of hundreds of satellites in low-Earth orbit.

“This launch will add another 40 satellites to OneWeb’s LEO satellite fleet, over 80% of its first-generation constellation that will deliver global wholesale connectivity for its partners,” the company stated in a press release.

Watch the launch